1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to stethoscopes and more particularly to a stethoscope having a light suitable for patient examination and a readily accessible time source when needed to improve monitoring patients during general examination, and a chestpiece of a stethoscope with a rotatable valve assembly and/or transparent non-chill rings.
2. Background and Description of Related Art
It is known in the art that a medical practitioner employs various devices during the course of examination of a patient. One such instrument is a stethoscope that is used by physicians, nurses, and paramedics in the early stage of any general examination and/or proper vital sign examination of a patient.
A stethoscope is an acoustic medical device for auscultation, or listening to the internal sounds of a body. It is often used to listen to heart sounds. It is also used to listen to intestines and blood flow in arteries and veins. Acoustic stethoscopes operate on the transmission of sounds from the chestpiece, via air-filled hollow tubes, to a binaural (headset) that a practitioner uses to listen to the acoustic sounds of a patient. The chestpiece usually consists of a diaphragm and a housing that supports the diaphragm within the chestpiece body. When the diaphragm is placed on the patient, body sounds vibrate the diaphragm, creating acoustic pressure waves which travel up the tubing to the binaural and the listener's ears.
The proper operation of a stethoscope is essential, since a practitioner, nurse or a doctor, uses a stethoscope to listen to the sounds of a patient's body to determine normal functioning and abnormalities.
In addition to stethoscopes, medical practitioners may use flash lights to examine the eyes of a patient for pupil dilation and reaction and/or use a time measurement device that would allow them to monitor a patient's heart or breathing rate. These additional instruments may be stored at various examination stations and may not be accessible in a timely manner by practitioners when needed. As such, a crucial part of the vital sign exams may be missed simply because clinicians do not have the proper tools in their possession. For example, clinicians may not conduct a pupillary response evaluation because they do not have a light handy, or may miss monitoring the heart rate because they do not have a time measuring device in their possession. In addition, medical practitioners often need to listen to multiple types of heart sounds having different frequency characteristics, or may need to treat different types of patients, such as adults, children, and infants. Also, conventional stethoscopes that are utilized by medical practitioners are readily susceptible to cross-contamination due to particulate buildup thereon, particularly on the components of the stethoscope that come into contact with patients, such as the stethoscope chestpiece components.
Therefore, what is needed is a multi-functional instrument including a plurality of devices that could be utilized by a medical practitioner to conduct a proper vital sign examination of a patient in a timely manner. Moreover, an instrument is needed that enables clinicians to easily conduct the crucial vital sign examination as a part of all general examinations. Furthermore, what is needed is an instrument that permits a clinician to check a plurality of the patient's vital signs without necessitating the removal of multiple instruments. In addition, what is needed is a stethoscope with a versatile chestpiece comprising sound regulation means and/or multiple attachments for enabling the stethoscope to be easily used for listening to heart sounds having varying frequency characteristics, and for use in treating different types of patients, such as adults, children, and infants. Also, there is a need for a stethoscope chestpiece comprising components that readily enable a user of the stethoscope to identify the buildup of particulate matter thereon.